


Sunsets Over the Past

by JazzRaft



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-10 03:26:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20128585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazzRaft/pseuds/JazzRaft
Summary: Nyx takes Noctis out for a summer getaway, forgetting that the sunny spot he's picked out has its fair share of shadows.





	Sunsets Over the Past

**Author's Note:**

> A tiny summer fluff challenge done with Aithilin and glaivenoct!

“Can I confess something?”

Nyx lifted his foot off the gas pedal, letting the car coast along the curve of the road. Once they straightened out, he cast a quick glance at Noctis to let him know he was listening. He almost pulled the car over when he caught the anxious clutch of the king’s hands in his lap, and the way his teeth gnawed at his lower lip.

“What’s wrong, Noct?”

“I probably should have said this _before_ we made the two hour drive down,” Noctis said, in a rush of breath. “But I’m really nervous about coming back here.”

Nyx did pull over then, parking along the guardrail. The earth dipped downhill below them, grass bleeding into sand spilling into sea. Galdin Quay glinted up from the gulf like a forgotten treasure, washed ashore from some long lost wreck sunken far out to sea. The sunlight shimmered off of the restored buildings and boardwalks like old bronze, nostalgic and beautiful. It would never be quite the same glorious, golden luster as it used to be, but it was back to looking more like the lush paradise on the edge of Leide that they remembered.

There would be plenty about it that was different since the last time Noctis had stepped across its boards. But one thing that remained the same was the shadow that Angelgard cast over the Pearl.

“Ah, shit,” Nyx hissed, clicking his tongue against his teeth. “I’m sorry, Noct. I… I forgot.”

He wasn’t proud to admit it. So much had happened over the years since the dawn’s return. So much that was good and bright and that banished the dark memories of the scourge to the stains of history. All of them were getting to a place where they could wake up in the morning without reaching for a sword first, without fear that there were daemons on their doorstep. It was becoming easier to put the past behind them.

But some shadows still remained.

“It’s alright,” Noctis promised, reaching up to the steering wheel to rest his hand on Nyx’s.

“It’s not,” Nyx insisted, twisting his wrist to turn his palm up, lacing his fingers with Noct’s. “The last thing I want your summer vacation to be is scary.”

They were both quiet for a moment, sea salt drifting over the car in between the silence. They had the top down, the wind in their hair, the sunlight on their faces. Nyx had wanted this particular road-trip from the Citadel to end better than the last one.

“It’ll be okay,” Noctis said, drawing himself up on a deep breath. “There’s nothing to fear there anymore.”

It was just a rock now, just a tourist attraction. An eyesore, if Nyx was asked. Angelgard hadn’t distracted from Galdin Quay’s beauty and serenity before; there was no reason it should darken their mood now.

The sands were white, the palm trees new, the gulf still and blue and, Nyx hoped, full of brand new fish for Noctis to catch. It would be quiet in their little bungalow, rented off the edge of the boardwalk, where the water would lap against the foundations and lull them to sleep beneath a cloudless sky of untainted stars.

Nyx lifted Noct’s hands to his lips, affirming a kiss and a promise against his knuckles. “Not while I’m here, little king.”

The resort was quiet, as Nyx had been hoping when he’d conspired with Ignis to shift Noct’s schedule so it was free for a few weekdays. They’d arrived in that pocket of time between weekends where the tourists surged in and out as fiercely as any riptide. The freshly paved parking lot was nearly empty, the welcoming kiosk at the top of the boardwalk abandoned for the lunch hour, and the walk to the restaurant itself was clear and cool.

Noctis had once told him that the boardwalk was his favorite part of the Quay. Even though it wasn’t very long and it didn’t sport any attractions, even though it was only a means of crossing from one place to the next, Noctis would always slow his pace just to savor the walk. He did that now, Nyx condensing his longer stride to lope beside him, hand in hand. Noctis was distracted by Angelgard, obscured by the sea-mist in the distance. He squeezed Nyx’s hand, urging him to lead him forward if he lost the strength to do it himself.

“Hey,” Nyx said, nudging his shoulder with his own. He jerked his chin over the side of the boardwalk. “Fish.”

Angelgard may not have changed, but neither had Noct’s favorite hobby. And nothing, not even an ancient, haunted prison, was stronger than that. The king’s eyes practically glowed with excitement as Nyx led him over the side, peering into the gentle ridges of the waves to pick out different colored scales to covet later. The water was so clear it might as well have been glass drawn over the marina. “Just like old times,” Noctis observed, and he felt a renewed bravery to approach the Mother of Pearl restaurant, shadows of the past be damned.

The restaurant was bigger than it had been in the past, less exclusive and designer, more homey and welcoming. The chefs still prepared food on the dining floor, though in quieter corners so as to fit more seating. Their grill fire and stove tops were like orange lanterns stoked to warm the room. It was tempting to just stand to the side and watch the chefs’ work, but they ended up ordering room service and spending the sunset perched on the deck of their quiet little suite.

“Sorry for the view,” Nyx said, glaring across the bay to the stone structure in the distance.

He set down next to Noct, both of them barefoot, Nyx with his pants rolled to the knees as he dangled his legs over the side of the deck. A bottle of white wine was shared between them to go with the Galdin Gratin, a traditional favorite that had been insisted on the renewed menu. If not for its nostalgia, then for the fact it was known to be an aphrodisiac.

“Why?” Noctis said. He turned his gaze from Angelgard to Nyx, unabashedly raking his eyes from his head to his toes. He smiled, picking up an oyster shell and tipping it towards Nyx as if in a toast. “View looks pretty good to me.”

“Mmm, better be careful,” Nyx warned. “Keep talking like that, we might skip the appetizer altogether and head straight for the main course.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

“Not in the least. Especially if it takes your mind off of…” Nyx rolled his eyes in Angelgard’s direction as if it were a peeping tom, leering into their little window of restored paradise.

Noctis sucked out the meat from the oyster shell, pointedly ignoring the imposing mountain as he met Nyx’s eyes. “Past’s in the past,” he muttered, washing the seafood down with a swig of wine – or to settle his nerves, being so close to the prison again. “Why waste our time lingering on it? I’d rather look forward to the future. Especially our immediate one.”

It was Noctis who seized the initiative, reaching over to cup Nyx’s face and draw him in for a kiss. There was an urgency to it that was rooted in more than just wine and chemically sensual seafood. Nyx had no trouble grasping it between his lips. He pulled Noct closer into his own shadow, one that stretched farther than the past. It was the one shadow where he’d always be safe, one that stretched forward across the midnight blue sea, into the future.


End file.
